1. Field of the Invention.
This invention pertains to sports equipment, and more particularly to apparatus useful for hiking and hunting.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
Various equipment has been developed that utilizes trees and posts as supports for sitting. Such tree seats are especially useful to hunters as they wait quietly watching for game. Many of the prior tree seats are more or less portable, and some are foldable to increase the convenience of carrying them.
However, the foldable feature of the prior tree seats also renders them undesirably heavy, expensive, noisy, and complicated. Further, several prior tree seats include sharp components that are intended to penetrate a tree. Such components can cause damage to the tree and injury to the user. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,711,783 shows a foldable portable seat that can be supported on the ground or on a tree trunk. The seat of the U.S. Pat. No. 2,711,783 patent has numerous parts that must be manipulated to open and close it, thereby rendering it rather awkward and noisy to set up and take down. One of the components is pointed for jamming into a tree trunk, which is a potential danger to both the tree and the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,991,842 describes a portable seat supportable on a tree trunk. The seat is made with a cutout having a long sharp edge for biting into a tree trunk. Although relatively simple in construction, the seat of the U.S. Pat. No. 2,991,842 patent requires care in handling it and in setting it up for proper functioning.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,113,058 discloses a rather complicated portable seat that has numerous moving parts. The seat is intended to be carried by suspending it from a person's belt, but the size and weight of the seat greatly diminish the advantage of the carryability feature.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,700 teaches a portable tree stand that can be worn as a backpack. The tree stand includes sharp points that penetrate a tree trunk in use, and that can be dangerous to the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,503 shows a combination backpack and seat accessory. A multi-piece frame includes rods with sharp ends. Sheathes may be placed over the sharp rods. The accessory can be converted between a seat mode and a backpack mode, but the sharp rods and numerous parts detract from its overall appeal.
Thus, a need exists for an improved hunting seat.